Analysis: 'Rogue' design win hurts ARM

Peter Clarke, EETimes 2/17/2011 7:40 AM EST

LONDON – ST-Ericsson's announcement of a design win for a PowerVR Series 6 graphic processor core from Imagination Technologies Group plc in the Nova A9600 applications processor is a blow to ARM Holdings plc and its aspirations in graphics.

It represents a design win for Imagination at an account where ARM and its Mali graphics cores had got a foothold and serves to emphasize how tough a competitor Imagination has become in the graphics business.

What is not clear is whether Imagination is now the incumbent across the piece at ST-Ericsson and ARM is out, or whether ST-Ericsson will employ a two-supplier, treat-em-mean to keep-em-keen strategy.

The upside for ARM is that the difficulties it faces trying to catch up with Imagination in graphics, other companies are also facing when they try to attack ARM's position in central-processing units.